Everyone knows that under no circumstances it is possible to combine alcohol and antibiotics, but now the course of treatment has been completed and the last pill has been taken and it is not clear how long it is possible to drink strong alcohol after taking antibiotics? Do I have to wait a few days or can I have a few drinks that evening? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand in more detail how antibacterial drugs and alcoholic beverages act on the body and how much time should pass after treatment so that drinking does not harm health.
How many days after antibiotic treatment can you drink alcohol?
Drugs of this group are prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory diseases that the body cannot cope with on its own. Antibiotics attack pathogens, destroying their cellular structure, so that the disease subsides and the patient feels better.
However, there is another aspect to taking antibacterial agents. Since their elimination from the body falls entirely on the liver, it has to suffer a severe blow. The experts also showed that in people who consumed alcohol during antibiotic therapy, the effectiveness of the treatment was significantly lower than in patients who had completely given up on alcohol.
It all depends on the drug used for the treatment. It is best to check this question with your doctor. He will tell you in detail after how long you can return to your usual way of life and take alcoholic drinks. If you cannot contact a doctor, you can carefully review the instructions for the drug.
It should be marked here:
- Duration of treatment;
- This drug is compatible with ethanol;
- The period during which you should not drink alcohol even after the end of therapy.
The ban usually lasts three to seven days. It all depends on the type of drug and the duration of its elimination from the body.
If the annotation does not contain information at all about the compatibility of a medicine with alcohol, this does not mean that you can start drinking immediately after the end of the course of treatment.
In any case, it is advisable to wait at least one day to allow the residual components of the drug to leave the body.
It is important to remember that even if the interaction with ethyl alcohol is not mentioned in the instructions for the medicine, you should still not drink alcohol immediately after antibiotics. This can damage the body which is still immature after illness and cause unwanted side effects.
Which antibiotics should never be combined with alcoholic beverages?
Despite all the bans from doctors, some patients undergoing treatment with antibacterial agents still manage to drink strong drinks. At the same time, they do not even think about the possible consequences and refer to the fact that all the prohibitions of doctors are nothing more than an unnecessary precaution. In fact, if the simultaneous use of alcohol and medicines has not affected the patient's well-being in any way, this does not mean that everything has passed without a trace for the body.
The components of ethyl alcohol and the drug may not interact directly, however, ethanol can significantly reduce the therapeutic properties of the drug and the effectiveness of the treatment. The disease will not recede anywhere, and an additional course of therapy will be required, which will create a high load on the liver and other organs of the excretory system.
There is also a group of antibacterial drugs, against the background of which it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol-containing beverages. Information about incompatibility with alcohol is indicated in the annotation of these drugs, in addition, the patient should be warned about this by the attending physician responsible for prescribing the drug.
Medicines that are completely incompatible with ethyl alcohol include:
- Tetracyclines.They are widely used in medical practice for the treatment of various infectious diseases.
- Levomycetine.Drugs of this group alone can cause severe side effects, and their simultaneous use with strong drinks can aggravate the toxic effect of the drug.
- Lincosamides.Drinking alcohol while taking these antibiotics adversely affects the central nervous system and liver.
- Aminoglycosides.Some of the strongest antibacterial agents that don't work well with other medicines. It is categorically contraindicated to drink strong drinks during treatment with these drugs.
- Cephalosporins.A disulfiram-like reaction may occur due to the simultaneous use of these drugs with strong drinks. The person will experience symptoms of severe intoxication, which will lead to a significant deterioration in his health.
- Anti-tuberculosisantibiotics.
- Macrolides.The interaction of these substances with ethanol has a strong toxic effect on the brain and liver.
- Antibioticsused in the treatment of leprosy.
There are some groups of antibacterial drugs, the annotations of which do not indicate how they interact with ethyl alcohol.
These drugs include:
- Antifungal agents;
- Penicillin-based drugs and others.
The fact that the instructions for use do not contain information on the effects of combining these drugs with alcohol does not mean that their combination is allowed. It should be borne in mind that each person's body is unique, and someone after a combination of alcohol and antibacterial agents will remain safe and sound, and someone will be at great risk.
So, how long after treatment with antibacterial drugs can you afford to drink alcohol? It all depends on the type of antibiotics and the physical condition of the patient. If the annotation indicates that it is forbidden to drink alcohol while taking the drug, then, it is better to wait until the residual components of the drug are completely removed from the body. This usually takes about two weeks, so it's best to wait until the end of this period with strong drinks.
If the instructions for a medicine do not indicate the specifics of its interaction with ethanol, it is still better not to drink alcoholic beverages for at least three days after the end of therapy.
If you have any further questions, you can contact your doctor. He will explain to you in detail whether it is possible to consume alcohol while taking one or another antibacterial drug and will tell you how long after the end of the therapy it is better not to drink alcoholic beverages.
Possible consequences of the combination
Drinking alcohol after taking antibiotics can trigger unwanted symptoms and negative side reactions from the body. The fact is, there are a number of antibiotics that can block the breakdown of ethanol in the body. Because of this, acetaldehyde ceases to be excreted from tissues and organs and begins to accumulate in them.
In this case, the body is poisoned and the person experiences painful symptoms of intoxication:
- Attacks of nausea and vomiting;
- An intolerable headache that not even painkillers can relieve;
- Vertigo;
- Difficulty in breathing;
- Pressing chest pains;
- Redness of the skin;
- Sweating;
- An increase or decrease in blood pressure.
This is a far from complete list of the dire consequences of the combination of alcohol and drugs.
It is important to remember that only a limited number of antibiotics have been shown to be incompatible with ethanol in clinical trials to date. The rest is either not fully understood or remains in doubt.
In any case, a person should be aware that alcohol consumption has a negative effect on the treatment process. Ethanol interferes with the normal absorption of drugs and significantly reduces their effectiveness. Therefore, during the course of therapy, you should refuse to take any type of alcohol, even the weakest.
This will help you avoid unpleasant side effects and keep you healthy. After all, no one can say for sure how the simultaneous intake of alcohol and antibacterial agents will affect the health of a particular person.